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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Are Symptoms Of Infection At An Injury Site?

Hello. This morning I accidentally dropped my electric toothbrush (without a head on it) onto the top of my foot, just beyond the joints to my 3rd and 4th toes. The metal tip punctured my skin and caused some bleeding, and the area began to bruise immediately. I put Neosporine on it and a bandage. As the day progressed it has continued to be sore and difficult to walk with. Some redness has started moving up my toes a bit. I think it s probably related mostly to the trauma to the foot...I think I remember having a tetanus shot in the last several years...but I wanted to know what symptoms to look for which may cause concern. I will be putting some hydrogen peroxide on it shortly (I probably should have done that to begin with). Thanks for your advice...
Wed, 20 Jul 2016
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

AS you mentioned, the acute redness and pain are due to the trauma but if they persist after a few days then they may indicate that there may be an infection present.

Signs and symptoms of infection include: persisting swelling, pain and tenderness, discharge, increased warmth and tenderness

Cleaning the area with an antiseptic such as the dilute hydrogen peroxide is a good idea.
This can be done twice daily.

If the tetanus shot was within the last 10 yrs, this should be ok unless the cause of the trauma is considered to be a source of infection/unclean, in which case, 5 years is used as the limit.

I hope this helps
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What Are Symptoms Of Infection At An Injury Site?

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic AS you mentioned, the acute redness and pain are due to the trauma but if they persist after a few days then they may indicate that there may be an infection present. Signs and symptoms of infection include: persisting swelling, pain and tenderness, discharge, increased warmth and tenderness Cleaning the area with an antiseptic such as the dilute hydrogen peroxide is a good idea. This can be done twice daily. If the tetanus shot was within the last 10 yrs, this should be ok unless the cause of the trauma is considered to be a source of infection/unclean, in which case, 5 years is used as the limit. I hope this helps